"Could have done a little bit better" – Xander Schauffele calls Round 1 of The Open Championship 'not exciting'

Following the first round of the Open Championship, Xander Schauffele didn't seem happy with his performance. In the post-round interview, he labeled the performance as not 'exciting'.

On Thursday, July 17, Schauffele carded an even-par 71 in the first round of the Open Championship 2025. He picked up three birdies against three bogeys to tie for 31st and finish four strokes behind the lead.

During the post-round interview, Xander Schauffele reflected on his opening day at Royal Portrush.

"It was all right," he said. "I wouldn't call it a, it wasn't a very exciting round. I wasn't hitting it extremely close. I think a lot of my birdies were two-putts. Managed the wind and rain okay. I thought I could have done a little bit better, but looks like I'm four back, which is a decent spot."

Reflecting on the conditions, the defending champion pointed out the wind and rain as posing a challenge.

"11 comes to mind, into the wind and rain, into left-to-right off that hole is a tricky one. You're trying to do your best to hit that fairway. If you miss it, you're hanging on for dear life," he said.

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When will Xander Schauffele tee off at the Open Championship 2025, Round 2?

Xander Schauffele is paired alongside J.J. Spaun and Jon Rahm for the second round of the Open Championship 2025. The trio will tee off on Friday, July 18, at 9:59 a.m. ET.

Following the first round of the Open Championship 2025, Jacob Skov Olesen, Haotong Li, Matt Fitzpatrick, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, and Harris English share the one-stroke lead at 4-under. Scottie Scheffler and Tyrrell Hatton are tied with two others in sixth place.

Here's a look at the leaderboard for the Open Championship 2025 after Round 1:

• T1. Jacob Skov Olesen (-4)
• T1. Haotong Li (-4)
• T1. Matt Fitzpatrick (-4)
• T1. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (-4)
• T1. Harris English (-4)
• T6. Matthew Jordan (-3)
• T6. Scottie Scheffler (-3)
• T6. Sadom Kaewkanjana (-3)
• T6. Tyrrell Hatton (-3)
• T10. Nicolai Hojgaard (-2)
• T10. Lee Westwood (-2)
• T10. Rickie Fowler (-2)
• T10. Rasmus Hojgaard (-2)
• T10. Aaron Rai (-2)
• T10. Brian Harman (-2)
• T10. Maverick McNealy (-2)
• T10. Justin Rose (-2)
• T10. Lucas Glover (-2)
• T10. Tom Kim (-2)
• T20. Phil Mickelson (-1)
• T20. Sam Burns (-1)
• T20. Jon Rahm (-1)
• T20. Shane Lowry (-1)
• T20. John Axelsen (-1)
• T20. Zach Johnson (-1)
• T20. Sergio Garcia (-1)
• T20. Angel Hidalgo (-1)
• T20. Justin Leonard (-1)
• T20. Joaquin Niemann (-1)
• T20. Rory McIlroy (-1)

Edited by Shobhit Kukreti